Events programme at the Epicentre attracts leading investors and influencers

The EpiCentre in Haverhill is fast becoming a destination for stand-out events in the East of England. After a successful series of events in 2021, the programme for Spring 2022 starts with a landmark event bringing together leading universities to share best practice on spinouts and commercialising IP, followed by a showcase of AI and data-focused innovators in life sciences later in the same month.

The events taking place in March 2022, that are open to all, are part of The EpiCentre’s strategy to support start-ups and scale-ups to build economic prosperity and strengthen the eco-system in a location conveniently nestled in the middle of three counties: Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. With part of the space at The EpiCentre dedicated to laboratory facilities and life sciences, these events enable the innovation centre to support its community whilst building awareness of the facilities available for companies that are looking for both infrastructure and business support.

The Innovation & Investment event takes place on 3 March 2022 and will include a live debate in the role Universities play in stimulating economic activity by commercialising intellectual property and spinning out companies. Professor Andy Neely OBE is the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations at the University of Cambridge and Professor Chas Bountra who is Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Oxford will lead the debate and share the work that is being done to support their scientific communities as well as creating infrastructure to assist entrepreneurial academics who want to take their research ideas and flourish through commercialisation. Professor Chris Greer who is Pro-Vice Chancellor Research from University of Essex will also be joining to share an alternative aspect of supporting commercialisation through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships designed to encourage collaboration between businesses and universities. The second part of this event is ‘Pitch for Investment’ where 6 companies will be pitching to a combined network of 750 Angels, who will be invited to join virtually. Registration details can be found by clicking here. 

Tim Robinson the CEO of Tech East is giving the opening and closing speeches while Anthony Harris, an entrepreneur, technologist and IT industry veteran, will be leading the debate on spinouts. The event is supported by Mills & Reeve, Oion and Cambridge Angels.

On the 15th March the in-person BioTuesday event, being held in conjunction with OBN, the membership organisation supporting & bringing together UK’s life sciences companies, and co-marketed by One Nucleus, will recognise some of the most interesting and progressive AI & Data focused R&D innovators, hailing from the East of England Region. The event will commence with a scene setting update from Dr Namshik Han, Head of Computational Research & Artificial Intelligence, Milner Therapeutics Institute, who will share his insight on the latest innovation in this space, with a particular focus on the East of England Region, followed by 6 companies showcasing AI & Data focused R&D innovation. Registration details can be found by clicking here.

Babita Devi, Innovation Director at The EpiCentre, says: “spinouts are clearly an essential and exciting part of that innovation ecosystem, and access to early-stage funds cannot be underestimated in the future success of innovative companies from across the UK. The golden triangle of Oxford, Cambridge and London account for a third of all UK spinouts and pharma, medtech and AI continue to lead the market. We are delighted to host experts from leading universities to share best practice to support the UK’s ambition to strengthen and support its science and technology sectors. “And on the 15th March 2022 we are looking forward to a stimulating discussion on life-science companies in the Eastern Region who are using AI and machine learning to both diagnose and treat the causes of cancer and other diseases, as well as using data analysis to optimise the drug discovery process,” adds Devi.